Warrior Rants- Sandstorm
Sandstorm bullied Firestar when he joined the Clan because a kittypet has never joined a Clan cat (as far as we know). She thought Bluestar, like majority of ThunderClan cats, was out of her mind for accepting a kittypet who had complete potential and proved that not all kittypets are lazy and weak. Sandstorm couldn't admit that Firestar was actually as good as any other cat in the Clan because she thought she'd be looked down on. Her father, Redtail, just died when Firestar pretty much joined the Clan. Even though his death occured during the battle with RiverClan, there's a possibilty that she'd be suspicious of him since a new cat turned out of nowhere in her territory and Redtail just so happened to die at the same time. Sandstorm was affected by her father's death; she was more bad-tempered than she usually was, which was just after Redtail's death. "You'll have to excuse Sandpaw," Greypaw apologised. "I think she must have a furball stuck somewhere. She's not usually this bad-tempered." - Into the Wild, page 53. She could have also been worsened at meeting Firestar, who still smelled like a kittypet. It doesn't state why she was actually like that, but there is a chance it was over Redtail's death and Firestar. The book didn't even mention Sandstorm being around the grieving cats--or at least Firestar never saw her. She has matured a lot from the sarcastic apprentice she was to a loyal and mature cat who can be a bit sassy. Sandstorm is just a good mate for Firestar and truly loves him. She actually has a lot of development for a more minor character and hasn't exactly had things easy for her. Sandstorm is nowhere near the lines of a "mate-stealer". Who's mate did she steal? No one's. Firestar never had a mate and never had feelings for anyone other than Sandstorm. Spottedleaf was just some sudden childish crush that came out of nowhere. As for Cinderpelt, she was just his apprentice. Sandstorm didn't steal Firestar from them, and never will. She's just not that type of cat. Cinderpelt seemed to approve of it if she was willing to tell Firestar that Sandstorm's in love with him. Spottedleaf is just dead on the other hand and needs to learn to let go of things. In fact, Sandstorm never knew they had feelings for him so how was she supposed to know? She can't read minds. At all. :"Fireheart, every cat in the Clan can see that Sandstorm is very, very fond of you!" - Rising Storm, ''page 155. : Sandstorm had every right to be mad in ''Firestar's Quest. ''Why? Because to her, it seemed like Firestar was secretly seeing Spottedleaf and that she was just second-best. She was jealous because she realised that Firestar preferred a dead medicine cat-- a ''dead medcine cat--''over her. Firestar hadn't told her Spottedleaf came into his dreams and Sandstorm was suspicious about it and assumed they had a thing going on since she was never told. And apparently Sandstorm's a "Mary-Sue" and Spottedleaf isn't. How is she? Is it because she so called "stolen" Firestar from sweet and kind Spottedleaf? Sandstorm's nowhere near the lines of a Mary-Sue; she's far from it. There is no reason as to why Sandstorm will ever be one. She's got too many flaws that are unchallenged. And using that just because she's Firestar's mate is just not right. Firestar ''does ''love Sandstorm. "''I love ''you, Sandstorm. You'll never be second-best for me. My love for you belongs here and now, in the life we share - and it will last for all the moons to come." - ''Firestar's Quest, ''pages 401-402 Sandstorm didn't become Firestar's mate because he was leader. She loves him for being who he is, not because of his rank. And Sandstorm loved him before he was even leader so how is that even possible? "''But the former kittypet, who would eventually come to be known as Firestar, soon made a very different impression on her, as she began to appreciate his courage and loyalty to his adopted Clan." - The Ultimate Guide, ''page 19. She bullied him throughout Into the Wild and halfway through ''Fire and Ice ''until Firestar saved her life fighting against RiverClan. She was grateful and realised that even though she treated him badly, he still saved her and she realised that she should get to know him instead of judging him constantly--even for his whole life. She also admired his courage and loyalty, even if he wasn't born a Clan cat. It wasn't until ''Rising Storm ''when Sandstorm realised she loved Firestar and made it obvious. It took her four books to fall in love with him, five books for them to admit they loved each other, and six books for them to become mates. FireXSand was really, really developed and actually came out of somewhere, not the middle of nowhere. They were even friends before they had feelings for each other. Sandstorm decided to go on an adventure with him to restore SkyClan because she loved and wanted to help him. She even almost died several times just for going with Firestar, but that didn't stop her from leaving his side even if she did wander off on him out of anger. She knew it could have been risky to go somewhere she was unfamiliar with, but she still decided to go and accepted any of the consequences that could have happened. I do believe that Sandstorm truly loves Firestar, and has proven that she does even if things were tough. She even continued to love him despite the fact that she was hurt about Firestar keeping Spottedleaf's memory. The thought of Firestar and Spottedleaf being together did anger her and she couldn't help but be upset about it, thinking that Firestar loved her more. "''He has a mate Sandstorm, too, who has given him kits and stayed by his side all through the Great Journey and never stopped loving him, not even when it looked as if the Clans could not survive in their new homes." - ''Spottedleaf's Honest Answer "''Sandstorm is a good mate to him Firestar; any cat could see how much she loves him, how much she believes in him as leader of the Clan." ''- Spottedleaf's Honest Answer In ''Sunset/Twilight, Sandstorm would have felt hurt that Leafpool ran off with a WindClan tom. She would have felt like her own daughter couldn't trust her since she never mentioned a single thing about Crowfeather, and she most likely would have thought that she somehow gave Leafpool the idea that falling in love with a tom from another Clan and being a medicine cat was okay. Sandstorm's life isn't that perfect; her own daughter held a secret from her and never consulted her, instead putting all her trust into her sister. She would have felt bad that her own daughter didn't trust her at all with that. When Hollyleaf reveals that Leafpool is her mother, Sandstorm would have felt even more shocked, but was full of sorrow. It would have been hard for her to know that one of her daughters broke both codes even further; she had kits, one thing a medicine cat was not allowed to do. "Sandstorm was staring at her, bewilderment and sorrow in her green gaze." - Sunrise, ''page 308. She just couldn't believe that what everything was happening was actually true. She knew her daughters were loyal cats, but knowing that they took part in something so big that broke both medicine and warrior codes just made her full of disappointment. She couldn't imagine that her own daughters would be part of something she had witnessed. Sandstorm couldn't have been there for her daughters all the time; they were grown up and were more independant. She was there for them a lot when they were younger, though, but knew she couldn't always be there for them constantly. Firestar practically acted like he loved ''Spottedleaf, ''not Sandstorm in The Last Hope. Sandstorm was right there, and they were both acting like they've always loved each other. "''That was never going to happen, my love. I cannot journey with you anymore. I'm so sorry." - ''The Last Hope, page 315. Firestar was even noted to have a sob in his mew. I feel so sorry for Sandstorm over anything; she had to put up with Firestar acting like Spottedleaf was the cat he loved, not her. Her life is not as easy as some people complained about, and she is a very developed character unlike a majority of others. '